Memoirs of a Menace
by KallingMeKiprix
Summary: Ever since their childhood, Ziggs and Rumble were always close. It isn't until recently that Rumble thinks over his memories of the past and realizes that his childhood was more than it seemed. A fateful encounter with Ziggs unearths countless memories as his mind spirals into a past long forgotten and discarded.
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is! The chapter I had spoken about in my other story.**

**This one takes place when Ziggs, Rumble, and surprise surprise, Tristana are younger. This is not at a really young age, but not that old. It's hard to explain, but you'll see.**

**Anyway, this is just more of a basis for how their relationship is when they're younger, because it's going to take an importance in the future.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Beta'd by the one and only Soojimasu, I would go check out their story. It rocks.**

* * *

"Come on Rumble, just try it out." Ziggs complained as he showed the crude-looking cannon to him. He had loaded up the cannon with another one of his explosive combinations. The last "bomb", as he so called it,was set off but ended up blowing up in his hands when he lit the fuse with matches he stole from home.

"It seems too dangerous, Ziggs. How about you Tristy? Y-You feel up to doing it?" Rumble asked the female yordle standing next to him. She smiled.

"Of course! Let's hope this thing takes me to the sky!" She shouted as she walked up to the cannon. It was small enough to be able to be picked it up. Ziggs carefully lit his new bomb and slowly slid it into cannon, loading a ball made out of scrap metal afterwards to be used as a cannonball. Tristana was careful to face away from the other yordles as she was trying to decide on how to aim the cannon.

"Should I aim this at the ground? I want to reach the skies, the clouds!" Tristana said as she looked up at the sky in amazement. Before Ziggs could answer, the bomb exploded, pushing Tristana back into the other two yordles. The knockback had sent her ten feet back, taking Ziggs with her and pushing Rumble away. Once the cannon had stopped its journey, Ziggs was finally able to see what his bomb was able to do. Not only did the cannonball hit a thick metal sheet of paper that Ziggs was planning to make something fun out of, but it had completely destroyed it, the cannonball going straight through it.

"Whoa…" Ziggs said in amazement once he was able to see the damage the cannonball had done. Once Tristana was back on her feet, she cheered loudly, turning to Ziggs with a smile on her face.

"That was so much fun!" She shouted. "I want to do it again, again!"

"Of course! I just need to make a new ball and Rumble may have to help on a new cannon and cannonball. We don't want the cannon exploding on you, now do we? Hehe. Rumble! How are you doing?" Ziggs asked as he ran over to Rumble who was still on the ground.

His eyes were closed and he seemed to be breathing.

"I think it knocked him out, Tristana." Ziggs said, worried.

She came running to check up on him. "Oh no. W-what do we do!" Tristana said in a panic.

"Don't panic, it's fine. Rumble's tough. He can handle anything. Let's just…get him to the couch in the shack, yeah." Ziggs said trying to remain calm. Inside he was freaking out. He hoped that it hadn't hurt him to a point where he wouldn't recover.

"The dirty one? That's not where I'd want to be put if I got hurt." The female yordle said negatively.

"Well it's the only place where we can put him. Come on, help me take him." Ziggs commanded as he grabbed Rumble's arms. Tristana grabbed his legs and the two hoisted him up into the air, slowly moving towards the shack that was in the corner of the junkyard where the three yordles would always go to play and get away from their home lives.

"He's kind of heavy." Tristana said, struggling to keep his legs up in the air.

"Too many cookies, I'd say." Ziggs replied, chuckling. Once they got into the shack, Ziggs had to open the door while still holding onto Rumble. They brought him into the shack and laid him on the couch at the left side of the shack. Ziggs was worried now. His bestfriend looked so lifeless and dead. It frightened him.

"Tristana, I'm scared for him…" Ziggs said quietly. "What if he's mad at me when he wakes up? What if he doesn't want to-" she interrupted him.

"Don't worry. He isn't like that," She retorted. A distant ringing of a loud bell in a tune echoed in the air. "That's the five o'clock bell ringing. I'm sorry Ziggs, but I have to get home. I don't want to get grounded again, missing out a day where you and Rumble make things explode is something I don't want to miss out on," She walked over to the shack door, opening it. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave. Take care of Rumble, alright?" she requested.

Ziggs nodded. "O-of course." Tristana smiled before she went out the creaky shack door, shutting it behind her.

Ziggs turned back to Rumble's quietly snoring body. "I'm sorry Rumble." He whispered quietly, grabbing one of the chairs that sat in a corner of the shack, bringing it up to the couch. He put his elbows on his thighs and placed his head on his hands, watching Rumble.

He looked peaceful sleeping, a lot more than he was when he was awake and about. He was so timid and shy.

He reached over to move Rumble's arm that was hanging limply from the couch. He placed it up against his body, hoping it wouldn't tire his arm out.

"I'm sorry Rumble…" He said quietly again, a tear going down his face.

* * *

After an hour of Ziggs patiently waiting for Rumble to, hopefully, wake up, he did.

At first he moved slowly, letting out a groan. Ziggs quickly got to his feet when he saw this andhis heart took a leap.

"R-Rumble?" Ziggs asked.

Rumble shifted in the couch, finally opening his eyes. He sat up slowly, grabbing at his head.

"W-what happened? My head hurts so much…ouchie." He rubbed at his ears softly, trying to calm the raging headache.

"Rumble!" Ziggs shouted running over to Rumble and giving him a big hug. Rumble awkwardly hugged back, confused.

"Ziggs…can you tell me what happened, please? I don't feel too good." Rumble groggily said.

Ziggs let go of Rumble, sitting back down on the chair across from the bed. "You…got hurt. Tristana went flying backwards when the cannon shot and it took you out and ended up taking me with her. It knocked you out. I was so worried. I thought you were never going to wake up." Ziggs recounted quietly.

Rumble stared off into space for a second. "Oh. That explains-"He clutched as his head, letting out a pained grunt. "My head hurts so much. C-can you take me home, Ziggs? Please?"

Ziggs stood up and nodded. "Anything for my bestfriend!" He shouted, chuckling happily.

Rumble stood up slowly, Ziggs grabbing him for support. "Thank you Ziggs." He smiled at Ziggswho smiled back. They began on their slow journey home, talking about their memories of their past and the hopes for the future.

* * *

"How was Rumble after last night?" Tristana queried.

She and Ziggs were on their way to the junkyard where they hoped to find Rumble. He was always there before them, either making a new weapon for Tristana to test out or some mechanical pets that run on unconventional fuels like prune juice or anti-freeze. Ziggs admired Rumble's ability to sit around, plan out what he wanted and do it no matter the cost. The thing he was working on most recently was something that he had been keeping hidden from his friends. He didn't want to tell them what it was until it was finished; it had Tristana riled up and Ziggs curious.

"He had a headache and wanted to go home. I took him home and we chatted along the way. The way we always do, as buddies who have a lot in common. I like that." Ziggs said grinning.

"I can tell. You two are so close it makes me feel left out sometimes," Tristana responded, giggling. "But that doesn't matter as long as I get to shoot things!"

"And you get to. Everyday. Even though Rumble has his own things he's doing, he makes sure to keep you going." Ziggs replied.

"And I love that. Maybe he made a new cannonball, but after he got hurt…"

"Yeah. I still feel really bad. I didn't know my bomb was going to do that much damage to the cannon, to the metal, and to Rumble. You didn't get hurt too, did you?" He asked her.

"No, not at all. It was fun! Feeling the rush of air as it moved by me!" Tristana said loudly in an excited tone.

"Calm down, Tristy." Ziggs jokingly replied. Tristana glared at Ziggs.

"Don't call me that." She growled.

"Oh come on. Why can Rumble call you that? 'Cause ya like him?" Ziggs teased.

"No. He-he…shut up!" She said crossing her arms and looking away from Ziggs.

"Oh come on Tristana," he nudges her. "I'm just kidding ya." Ziggs spoke, seeing the junkyard come in view.

Tristana kept her arms crossed and her brows furrowed in an attempt to stay mad at Ziggs.

"No." She replied angrily.

Ziggs sighed and chuckled."Always the same thing. Come on, race ya!" Ziggs said as he took off towards the junkyard. Tristana ran off behind him, trying her best to beat him. She had always won at races against never knew why, but in his mind, he knew she cheated.

Once they reached the junkyard, where Tristana, yet again, somehow beat Ziggs, Rumble wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Rumble!?" Ziggs shouted as he walked into the vast junkyard. He didn't hear Rumble's voice respond.

"Maybe he isn't feeling any better." The female yordle added, trying to be positive.

"Maybe." Ziggs agreed. Tristana went to go check in the shack while Ziggs went go search all the places Rumble happened to hide when he worked, ate, or happened to be crying at. He wasn't in any of them.

"I don't think he's here." Tristana said loudly after she was done looking in the shack. Ziggs came out of the back of the pile of scrap metal, the place where Ziggs would go to think about what was going on in his life. Ziggs had found him crying back there one day after Tristana had gotten mad at him for not giving her a gun that squirted oil. His reasoning? Oil is useful for other things and it was hard to get it out of clothes.

"I don't think so either. I'm worried." The yordle said sadly as he sat down on a tire, putting his elbows onto his knees and his head on his hands.

"I wouldn't be worried. He's probably just trying to get better. We did knock the crap out of him yesterday. I feel so bad, too." Tristana said glumly.

"I do too. It's all my fault." Ziggs quietly said. Tristana sat next to him on the tire, putting her arm around him.

"It's alright. I'm sure he's not mad." Tristana said, looking up as a shadow approached them. Ziggs did the same, seeing that it was Rumble happily smiling.

"Hey guys." The blue yordle casually says to them.

"Rumble…" Ziggs says quietly, quickly getting up and bringing him into a hug.

"Whoa, whoa, two hugs in two days. That's a new record. Is something the matter Ziggs?" Rumble says, pulling out of the hug.

Ziggs looks down, trying to hide his enjoyment of Rumble being back. "It's just…I thought you'd be mad at m-me-" he stops, and turns to Tristana. "Er, us."

Rumble chuckled. "Of course not. To prove it, I brought this for you." Rumble said. Ziggs turned around and looked at what Rumble was holding out. They were goggles. The lenses, if you could call the thick glass lenses, were a bright emerald green.

"T-thank you." He said taking the goggles, taken back.

"You always talk about the smoke getting in your eyes when you light your bombs, so I bought you these with my allowance," Rumble said happily, looking down suddenly. "I…hope you like them." He said meekly.

Ziggs tested the stretchiness of the goggles' band. They seemed to be genuinely durable as he slid them over his stretched out as he placed them over his eyes. They changed everything to the same emerald green color, but it made everything look cooler.

"Woooow. Thanks Rumble!" Ziggs shouted, running back to the blue yordle and giving him another hug. "These are so cool!" Ziggs shouted, looking all around the junkyard, testing out the color change.

"What about me?" Tristana asked shyly over to the side of Ziggs.

"This." Rumble said bringing out a tiny gun from behind him. "Watch out, it shoots burning hot water. It always keeps the water hot, and you can refill it." Rumble said as he handed it to the female yordle.

She took the gun from him, and squirted it at Ziggs, making him reel and grab at his arm.

"Ah! That's hot! Hot, hot, hot!" he shouted, running around and rubbing his arm.

"Running around won't help you." Rumble replied, chuckling.

Tristana giggled and turned to Rumble. "Thank you. I can stop Ziggs from HARASSING ME!" she shouted chasing after Ziggs, squirting him with the gun.

Rumble laughed at what he was watching, enjoying his two best friends going at it. This is what he enjoyed most about his friends.

* * *

All three of the happy yordles sat under the cool shade, joyfully eating their lunches after a long day of being out in the sun in the junkyard. They had all decided to take a walk to the nearby park to have a picnic.

"Rumble." Tristana blurted, cutting the silence during their meal.

"Hm?" He asked back, too focused on his sandwich, a BLT that he absolutely loved.

"I'm sorry." Tristana apologized quietly.

"For what?" He asks back.

"I'm sorry too." Ziggs chimed in with an apology.

"Sorry?" He inquired, blatantly confused. "Why are you guys sorry? There's no reason to be, honest, things like that happen. I'm fine. I don't even have a bruise." He replied, smiling afterwards.

"You sure?" Ziggs added.

"Yes, yes, I'm very sure. I brought these presents to ensure that. I can see you like those goggles, Ziggs," Rumble said chuckling. Ziggs smiled and laughed, adjusting them. "And you like your gun, Tristy, so that's all that matters."

"Oh I do." The female yordle replied, sneakily bringing out the gun and squirting Ziggs' arm. He shot up to his feet and yelled.

"IT BURNS!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, running around the Rumble and Tristana, and then around the tree they were sitting on.

"He deserved it. Don't ask." Tristana said taking a bite of her tuna sandwich. Rumble couldn't help but giggle as he watched Ziggs run around as if he was on fire. He had to admit…he looked…almost…cute.

Wait…cute…no. The blue yordle shook his head, trying to get those thoughts of his mind.

"You okay?" Tristana asked.

He shook his head and nodded, smiling an 'I'm okay' smile.

"Yeah, yeah." He said, hearing as Ziggs' shouting was starting to die down. He slowly came to the picnic area, rubbing at his arm and scowling.

"Don't do that to me, it makes my arm burn after." Ziggs said quietly as he sat down and grabbed his sandwich, an ordinary sandwich with ordinary ingredients, something that didn't fit Ziggs, and resumed his lunch.

"Hey, I wanted to shoot your face, but I know that'd turn out worse." Tristana rationalized back.

"Right." Ziggs responded, irritated.

Rumble chuckled. "You guys are always going at it, it's so funny to watch," He got up and stretched a little. "This is why you two are my bestfriends." He added, laughing.

"Has anyone told you it's bad to stretch after eating?" The female yordle scolded.

"That's totally a lie mothers tell you to be a good kid." Ziggs remarked.

"Is not! My mom always tells me that!" Tristana said getting up, her fists clenched. Ziggs did the same, mimicking her.

"Is to!" He shouted back.

"Is not!" She shouted back. Rumble sighed, walking over to the spot where Tristana and Ziggs were shouting. He saw the Tristana's gun on the ground and picked it up.

"Is to!" Ziggs shouted back, trying to outshout Tristana.

"It's neither!" Rumble said boldly, squirting both of them with the gun, emitting loud yelps of pain.

* * *

It was later into the night at the Junkyard. Tristana had to go home, so Ziggs and Rumble were left alone. Ziggs was working on his latest invention, his "Supreme Bomb" as he had called it. It scared Rumble to know what the bomb did, but he wouldn't question it. He was testing out the explosive properties of the metals around the junkyard, using bombs and firecrackers that Ziggs made just for practice.

"Ziggs?" Rumble asked, looking away from the sheet of bendy plastic he had found.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"What do you want to do when you grow up?" Rumble asked quietly, walking over to Ziggs.

"Hmmm…" He replied, thinking the question over. Rumble brought up a chair that was standing by the spot where Ziggs was at, sitting across Ziggs in his workplace. He was currently trying to get a metal to work with him, but from the big ball of jagged metal edges, he knew it wasn't working.

"I would assume bombs." Rumble added in.

"Yeah, bombs are for sure in my future," He said looking like he was daydreaming. He looked over at Rumble. It was hard to see his emotions now with the goggles. It was a lot easier to tell when you could look into the emerald eyes and lifeless lenses replaced the gleaming emeralds. "What about you? Do you have any sort of idea?"

That was a good question. What _did _he want to do in this future?

"I…something with sure. You'll see why I say that soon." Rumble said mischievously.

"Keeping me at the edge of my seat as always." Ziggs replied, adjusting his goggles.

"Do you…do you ever think of leaving Bandle?" Rumble asked quietly. Ziggs was taken aback by the question.

"Leave Bandle?" He repeated quietly. "Rumble, I think we're too young to think about that. We have other things to think about. Like me. I'm concerned about what juice I am going to drink tomorrow." Ziggs said in a serious tone.

Rumble let out a tiny chuckle. "You're right," He said looking up at the sky. The sunset was starting now and the sky was slowly darkening. Stars began to slowly show up. "I should be more concerned about how crazy Tristy is." Rumble added.

"Oh, be glad you can call her Tristy," Ziggs replied, turning behind him and looking for something to add to his bomb. "She squirted me the first time to get back at me for calling her Tristy. She doesn't let me." He said, crossing his arms and scowling.

"It's 'cause she likes you." Rumble replied casually. Ziggs face went into immediate shock.

"Likes me?" He asked quietly. "You're dumb, Rumble. She likes you!" He added loudly.

Rumble shook his head. "No, she likes you. You can tell the way she looks at you." The blue yordle retorted.

"The same way you look at me?" Ziggs dumbly responded. Rumble was caught off guard by this comment.

"N-no." He stuttered an answer.

"Heh, I'm just joking Rumble!" Ziggs exclaimed loudly, patting Rumble on the shoulder over his workspace. "Take a load off, Rumble, you're too tense. I think you need some food or something." Ziggs joked, chuckling afterwards.

"R-right…" Rumble said quietly looking away and blushing. For a while now, every time Ziggs had made contact with Rumble, his heart skipped a beat. He didn't know why it was doing that, or what made it happen, but he had to admit, it brought joy to him. He loved it when Ziggs hugged him out of nowhere, despite the fact that it made him feel awkward at the same time.

Ziggs looked up and pointed up to the sky. "Look! The stars are out!" He happily shouted, standing up and grabbing Rumble by the hand, making his heart jump again. "Come, let's go!" He said pulling Rumble to his feet and dragging him behind him. They ran out of the junkyard in a hurry and ended up going to the same park where they had lunch, but this time, they lay down in the middle of the field, looking up at the sky.

"What are we doing here?" Rumble asked in a worried tone.

"Just look up at the sky, Rumble," Ziggs answered lazily. "Calm down, take a breather, look up at this beautiful sky."

Rumble nodded and turned his face up back to the sky, taking in the sight of the beautiful stars. He hadn't really taken the time to see the night sky for what it was. He was always too busy working on his newest invention, sitting at home and working on other things, or just too much in a rush to relax.

"You see that one?" Ziggs asked pointing up to a really bright star in a cluster of stars that were dim to the point that they looked like they were nonexistent.

"Yeah." Rumble answered.

"I call it 'Rumble.' Why? 'Cause you're just like this star. You're bright in a sea of deadness, but you don't know it. At least, not yet." Ziggs explained.

"That sounded very deep coming from you, Ziggs. Are you sure you hadn't thought that over a bit too much?" Rumble said, chuckling.

"Maybe," Ziggs replied nonchalantly. "Okay, yes, but still. You worry too much, Rumble. You need to relax, to enjoy life. You're too much of, 'Oh, what if this? What if that?' No, no, no more of that. Every night, we're going to come here and watch the stars and relax. You need it." Ziggs said in a scolding tone.

"You're not my real dad." Rumble replied jokingly.

Ziggs stood up quickly and pointed down at Rumble. "Well if I was, you sure wouldn't be like this!" He shouted loudly, obviously joking. His voice echoed off the few trees in the dark park.

Rumble stood up too, mimicking Ziggs' position, his face scowling in a mock of angriness.

"I wish I was adopted!" He shouted back angrily, bursting out into laughter afterwards.

"You're bad at acting, Rumble. Good thing you don't want to do it when you're older, ha." Ziggs teased.

"Yeah, good thing. I'd get booed off the stage the instant I get on." He added, laughing.

All the sudden Ziggs pointed quickly up to the sky. "Look!" He shouted, instantly turning Rumble's attention to what he was pointing. It was a shooting star. Rumble caught enough of it to be able to identify it was one.

"Wow….I've never seen a shooting star before." Rumble said, astonished.

"Make a wish." The other yordle said.

"A…wish? Why?" Rumble asked in a hushed tone.

"Well you obviously haven't seen a shooting star, Rumble. Whenever you see one, you make a wish. It'll come true." Ziggs said looking back up to the sky, as if waiting to see another shooting star zipping by.

"A wish that'll come true? Okay then…" Rumble replied, closing his eyes and thinking.

"_I wish to stay close to Ziggs my whole life…"_

* * *

"So what is this it Rumble wants to show us?" Tristana queried as she and Ziggs were on their way to the junkyard.

"I don't know, but last night, before we went opposite ways at the corner, he told me he'd reveal what he has been working on for the past month. He said it's ready." Ziggs said excitedly

"Oooooh, about time." Tristana responded.

"Right?" Ziggs responded.

"Sooo, what did you and Rumble do last night?" Tristana asked curiously, almost as if she knew something.

"Why do you ask? Did he tell you something?"Ziggs asked back.

"Maaaybeee…" Tristana replied.

"Wait, how?" Ziggs asked back, surprised.

"Walkie-talkies." The female yordle boldly stated.

"Okay, and what did he tell you?"

"Make a wish. That's all I'm going to say." Tristana replied, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Okay then…" The yordle said, unsure of what to say.

"Rumble really looks up to you, Ziggs. A little too much if I'd say myself…" Tristana trailed off.

"W-what do you mean?" Ziggs asked, confused.

"It's…no, nevermind. I can't say." Tristana thought about what she was about to say.

"No, tell me." Ziggs said, annoyed.

"I can't. It's not something Rumble told me, it's something I think is true…" Tristana said as they began approaching the junkyard. "Just…don't think about it," she said smiling over to Ziggs. "Don't worry." She repeated.

"Fine." Ziggs replied in a grudged tone. They had finally reached the junkyard, only for Rumble to not be seen.

"He's probably finishing up on this thing he is working on," Tristana replied. "Rumble!?" Tristana shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing off the corners of the junkyard.

"I'm over here!" A quiet voice said from afar. "I'll come out in a second!"

Tristana turned to Ziggs. "He'll come out in a second." She said.

"I think I heard." Ziggs replied sarcastically. Tristana gave Ziggs a little shove, giggling.

"Don't make me get my gun out." She threatened. Ziggs put his hands up defensively.

"No! Please, anything but the boiling gun!" He shouted, scared.

Tristana laughed and looked over to her left. Rumble was starting to slowly come out from behind a big pile of junk. He slowly walked over to the other two yordles, a smile plastered to his face.

"Okay, so you came to see what I've been working hard on for a month, right?" He said to them. They both nodded in response. "Well, prepare yourselves! I'll go get it, wait here!" he said ecstatically before running off to the back of the pile again. The only thing that gave them a sign that he was actually coming back was a mechanical whirring of some sort.

"What is that?" Ziggs asked, moving over to try to get a peek of whatever it was.

"I can't tell." Tristana replied, moving over to try to do the same thing as Ziggs. Their questions were answered once Rumble appeared from behind the pile. He was on top of some sort of machine; it was basically a rounded platform of some sort that allowed Rumble to sit in it. From the bottom of the rounded platform were two long, metal legs that led down to mechanical joints, then leading on to some sort of bowl-shaped metal for the 'feet' if you could call them that.

"What is that!?" Tristana said loudly, slightly scared.

"It's my mech!" Rumble shouted, the mech slowly making its way to the other two yordles.

"It's kind of slow…" Ziggs said negatively.

"Well I'm still working on it!" Rumble replied excitedly, pulling a lever that made the mech go twice as fast, which wasn't all that much faster.

Ziggs began making his way over to the mech, knowing that it'd take too long for the mechto reach them. Tristana followed behind.

"So why'd you make this?" Ziggs asked as he approached the mech, being able to see more of what it was made of up close. Rumble had stopped the mech.

"Well, I want to be taller. I want to be looked up to, not only by yordles but by humans, too." Rumble said from atop of the mech.

"So this is your escape?" Tristana asked as she ran her hand along the metal leg of the mech. It was at a complete stop right now, but it was still able to keep the platform high up.

"It's not my escape. It's just what I've wanted to do for a while," Rumble said as he leaned over the mech's edge, looking down at Ziggs and Tristana.

"So, what else can this baby do?" Ziggs asked, tapping at the metal.

"Well, I can show you. I would back off, this thing has leaked oil all over the place, fallen over, and more. It's dangerous." Rumble summed up. They two yordles did as he said, and he turned the mech back on.

"What kind of engine does it use? It's hard to tell." Ziggs asked, having to somewhat yell from his distance.

"I have no idea, it's strong but not loud, and I like that." Rumble replied, looking at all his buttons and levers carefully, not wanting to touch the wrong one.

"Show us what this thing can do!" Tristana said excitedly. He nodded and pulled a lever. The mech instantly shot fireworks up into the sky, exploding at a certain point.

"Say, are those my fireworks," Ziggs said looking up at the sky, watching the fireworks explode in a flurry of blue. "Well that looks really nice." Ziggs said in amazement.

"That was so cool!" Tristana shouted, jumping into the air.

"There's more!" Rumble shouted happily, pulling another lever. The mech then shot out water from its. Hot, burning water. And it so happened to hit Ziggs.

"IT'S SOO HOOOT!" Ziggs shouted, rubbing at this face and arms as he began to run around.

Tristana burst out into laughter, falling onto the floor and grabbing onto her gut. "That. !" She shouted, going into a fit of hilarity. Ziggs ran around like crazy, rubbing at his fur as if it was going to help. After minutes of Ziggs running around, he had finally calmed down. Tristana, on the other hand, stayed on the floor, too tired to get up after a fit of laughter.

"Are we done?" Rumble said, bored, atop of mech. The amusement of watching them wore off quickly, and he was left to stay on top of his mech. He did, after all, want to show them the last thing he had added to the mech.

"Yeah." Ziggs said neutrally, standing to the side of the mech, in case Rumble wanted to squirt him again. Ziggs didn't seem to be hostile towards Rumble after being sprayed at by hot water.

"Well!" Rumble shouted, standing up. "There's one more thing I want to show you guys. It's the last thing I've added to my mech and it makes me really excited!" Rumble said, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Oh? Come on, Rumble, don't hold off," Ziggs said as he walked over to Tristana, shaking her body. She had fallen asleep. "Looks like Tristana's asleep. She's going to miss it." Ziggs said, trying to shake her. She wouldn't budge.

"Oh well. You get to watch this, then. You'll love it, it's one of your favorite things that isn't explosions or bombs." Rumble said as he sat back down.

"Ooooh! I'm ready for this, haha!" Ziggs chuckled.

"Okay, stand back a good amount. You'll see why." Rumble cautioned. Ziggs nodded and stepped back a good two feet.

"Okay, show me! I'm at the edge of my seat!" Ziggs said excitedly, jumping up and down. Rumble nodded and pulled a lever. Nothing happened for a split second, and then, in a burst, the mech exploded.

Ziggs shielded his face from the explosion, not wanting to get hit by any shrapnel. A big puff of black smoke had come from the explosion and was now covering the area where the mech was, including where Tristana was at, asleep.

"Rumble! Rumble! Are you okay!?" Ziggs shouted into the cloud which was now approaching him slowly. There was no answer. "Buddy!?" He shouted. His heart began racing. He ran into the smoke in a rush, his first target being Tristana. He was going to be able to find her body more easily, and the fact that she was asleep wasn't going to protect her in any way.

He ran to her body and grabbed her by the feet, dragging her out of the slowly moving cloud. Once she was out, he looked back into the cloud.

"Rumble!? Buddy, please! Answer me!" He shouted. He could hear a quiet groan coming from inside the cloud. He took off towards the groan inside the cloud. "Rumble!?" He shouted. The groan came again. He went towards the groan, coming across Rumble's body. All his fur had been colored black from something, some of it missing in places. He was on his side, his body looking limp and lifeless. The only thing that gave hint that he was still alive was his groaning.

Ziggs leaned over his body, putting his hand on his shoulder and turning his body. Rumble's eyes were open, but he couldn't seem to move his body.

"Rumble…" Ziggs said quietly, a tear going down his cheek. It was twice now he had seen Rumble so hurt and helpless and it hurt Ziggs in the inside.

"Z-Z-Ziggs…" Rumble whispered, barely audible.

"Rumble…wh-what was that supposed to be? That explosion." Ziggs asked him quietly. Rumble cracked a small smile, letting out a small chuckle, before grabbing at his stomach. It hurt him to laugh, but he was able to move.

"A…flamespitter. You love fire, right?" Rumble whispered.

Ziggs nodded. "I do, but…you injured yourself just to make me happy, Rumble." Ziggs said quietly. Rumble nodded.

"I-I'm sorry for my poor decisions." He replied.

"Don't be." Ziggs answered immediately.

"I…I can't…it hurts." Rumble said quietly.

"What does?" Ziggs replied, looking over his body.

"My body…it hurts…please…get me help…" Rumble whimpered. Ziggs nodded and stood up quickly.

"I'm sure people heard the explosion, but I'll get help. Don't worry, buddy," Ziggs said before going down and leaning over to Rumble's head, grabbing at his cheek, in an almost-caress. "I won't let you go." He said. Rumble's heart seemed to flutter, and it made him light headed, making it harder for him to stay awake.

"Z-Ziggs…" Rumble said before Ziggs was able to stand up.

"Yeah, buddy?" He replied.

"Ziggs…I…I think…" Rumble choked out, going into a coughing fit.

"Yeah?" He asked cautiously, tears going down his cheeks, landing onto the ground next to Rumble's head.

"I…I think that I..." His eyes began to slowly close.

"Rumble?" Ziggs asked.

"I…love…"

"…_you." _ He said in his head before blacking out.


	2. Unsuspecting

**I'm back with another chapter.**

**So basically, this chapter takes place in the present, that is, if the world of League of Legends was real.**

**Enjoy.**

**Revised by Soojimasu again. Saves lives.**

* * *

It was another boring, ordinary day for boring, ordinary Rumble. He had woken up in his boring, ordinary apartment like he always did. Only today, he didn't know what was planned. The day previous to this one was when he decided that he no longer would over think his strict schedule. He had come to the conclusion that living life like a normal yordle being would help the issues that had started arising in this life.

Recently, he had been in a big creative nosedive, and it had hindered the forwarding on his mech's technology. The yordle sighed and got up from his bed, and over to his bureau where he had stored his clothes. He looked into the mirror, a blue-furred yordle with limp hair and a sad looking face looked back at him.

What had happened to him? When did this start to happen? It was if his life, over night, had taken a turn for the worst. He woke up, and he didn't feel like the same person. And he didn't like that at all.

Rumble sighed and made his way over to the bathroom, undressing and starting the shower, letting the warm water take his body. Showers were what gave his life worth. They were what helped him think and get through what he was dealing with.

An hour later, he was out of the shower and sitting down in his livingroom, staring at the shut off television. He didn't know what he wanted to do, so he got up and went over to his door, going out and making his way down where the entire apartment complex residents' mailboxes were. He brought out the key from his pocket and stuck it inside the key slot of his designated mailbox, opening it. Inside were the usual letters, bills for all the mechanical parts he had ordered for Tristy, letters from friends who he sometimes responded to, ads for more mechanical stuff that he was tempted to buy, but probably needed, and at the bottom of the pile was a letter inside a red envelope.

A…red enveloped letter. That…that couldn't be. Red enveloped letters always meant it was from Ziggs, but he wasn't due to respond for another month. Rumble quickly turned the envelope around, seeing the insignia of Ziggs in the front, the usual skull symbol, along with his name and his address. Rumble's heart leapt for joy. He quickly closed his mailbox, making his way up to his apartment as quickly as he could. Once inside his apartment, he plopped himself down on his couch and tore the envelope open. Inside, he could see a photo and a letter. He began to read the letter first, knowing the letter would speak about the photo and explain it better.

_Dear Rumble,_

_I'm writing back quicker than usual, huh? Well, there's a reason why. _

_The other day, I had met two Piltover legends. Officer Caitlyn and her partner, Vi. Vi had taken a liking to me when Caitlyn came to visit. After being allowed acceptance into the League, Caitlyn had been itching to come meet me at the Academy, so she did. She brought Vi along, and boy, did Vi like me. She calls me her 'Fiery Furball,' and is constantly trying to get me to explode something. She's a crazy one, ya know. Constantly talking about fighting some baddies, beating some villains, and hustling some dealers._

_We had gone into a conversation, Vi and I, about my life back home. Caitlyn got bored after an hour of being at the Academy, so she left Vi with me. I told her about you, and she had replied that she hadn't met you at all. We went more into detail about our relationship, our long history of friendship, and then she brought up a point that I honestly would not see Vi doing whatsoever. She said that I should write to you. That I probably miss you, and that the fact that I take months on end to just write back isn't good at all. And you know what? I took her advice and I wrote the letter. I feel bad for not responding, buddy. Anyway._

_The photo I sent with the letter is of Vi and I. I would consider her to be my newest, possible closest friend in Piltover, but as I have said, nothing ever beats you and your crazy mohawk . The bond we have could never be comparable to the bond someone like Vi and I could have. Anyway, I look forward to hearing your reply. I'm hoping that we can see each other soon because I miss you as much as you miss me._

_~Ziggs_

Rumble looked at the photo that Ziggs had sent along with the letter. It was a picture with Vi on the left and Ziggs on the left. Vi had her mechanical fists on, and she was holding two fingers up in a peace sign, Ziggs was doing the same, showing off his pearly white, canine-free teeth. The photo made Rumble smile. Seeing Ziggs this happy made Rumble happy knowing that his life in the Academy has gotten more homey after meeting someone like Vi. Rumble had personally never seen Vi as someone who could actually be emotionally deep, but she probably kept that deep down. She probably used it as a façade to be tough and to be feared as Caitlyn's partner.

If word got out of Vi's emotional involvement regarding Ziggs and Rumble's relationship, things could turn bad for her reputation.

That's a thought that Rumble didn't want to have.

* * *

After Rumble had ate breakfast and put the photo away in his Drawer of Memories, as he called it, he had decided that he should finally take the time to go work on Tristy.

That reminded him…when did Tristana say she was coming? He went back into his bedroom and brought out his notepad, flipping through the pages to try to check for today's date and note about her time of visit. He had gone through the whole notepad and hadn't found anything, going to the conclusion that she was actually never coming and he only thought she was. He tended to do that a lot, especially with Ziggs…

The yordle sighed before going out of his bedroom and into the room next to it. From the doorway you could see Tristy up on a platform, a spotlight and the only current source of light in the room shining down on the mech. To the sides of his mech were previous, failed versions of other mechs. A mech that shot pineapples instead of his equalizers, which the League happened to like and turned into some joke costume for him, making him wear it whenever a summoner had requested it. There was also a mech that shot water, a mech where the harpoons were ice instead of electric which caused the mech to freeze over and stop working.

He kept them to look back at what he had made in the past, and ensure that his future mech, or current one, Tristy, end up being the best they can be.

Rumble got on Tristy and turned it on, moving it over to the work space that he designated in the center of the room on a mat that kept all stains from getting onto the carpet of his apartment.

Once on the mat, he hopped off Tristy and went to work. He wanted to somehow be able to get the Flamespitter to shoot fire all around the mech, but he knew it wouldn't be easy whatsoever. Then it hit him. He shouldn't be doing that on Tristy; that was risky. He could do it on the mech prototype that he had first given the Flamespitter to…

A knock on his front door had brought Rumble out of his trance. That could be none other than Tristana. He was right in thinking she was coming. But why? He couldn't exactly remember. Rumble swallowed loudly before getting out from under his mech, leaving his Mech Room, as he called it and making his way over to the front door of his apartment. He opened the door, revealing Tristana on the other side. She awkwardly waved.

"Hey Rumble, mind if I come in?" She asked him. He nodded in reply and let her through. The yordle made her way into his apartment, settling onto his couch.

"Uh…" Rumble slowly began. "Why are you visiting?"

Tristana laughed, crossing her arms. "You forgot, didn't you?" She asked back. He nodded, and smiled nervously.

"Yeah…"

"Just to check up on you, Rumble. You've been down in the dumps lately, no League calls or nothing. It gets boring to not have Ziggs around either and I miss him just as much as you." She stated.

"Speaking of which, I got a letter from him today." Rumble answered back. That caught her attention.

"Oh? What did this letter have in it?" She queried.

"He spoke about how he and Vi have all the sudden developed a random relationship. He told her about me, and how he misses me at times. She suggested that he write back, like, as soon as possible, and he did. That's why I got a letter so quickly. He also sent a photo of them. He looks so happy in it." Rumble told, smiling to himself as he remembered the photo.

"Well at least he wrote back quicker than usual." Tristana added, smiling.

"Yeah, that's what I'm happy at the same time, I don't know. I know that he's happy, and I'm over here at Bandle, you know, living every day as if it was the day before." The blue yordle murmured. "Either way, I've been in the mood for some League fighting, you know? Take down a Noxian General, maybe a spider or a certain scout." Tristana snickered. "That's what I really want, but you know, it's not my choice, it's the summoner's. I'm not all that popular these days. It sucks, to be honest." Rumble whispers sadly.

"Oh, I know that exact feeling. Everyone is all over the Draven, or the Caitlyn, but no, the Tristana isn't good enough," She shrugs. "Oh well, it happens. Poppy has all the time in the world, she gets summoned once a year, apparently, and she, from what she's told me, doesn't really have a problem with it."

Rumble shrugged. "I-I don't know," he stuttered, looking away. "I'm just feeling kind of lonely lately. I've been reading past letters between Ziggs and I, and it doesn't help me at all. I miss the old days, when we three were together and we could live carelessly without worrying about money, jobs, or the League." Rumble reminisced.

"I miss those days too," Tristana added. "But, thing is, we're in the present. If you keep living in the past, then that's unhealthy."

Rumble nodded. "Yeah, I know," Rumble whispered. "Anyway," Rumble said as he sat up, bringing his head up. "Is there anything you want to do today, Trist?" Rumble asked, almost saying Tristy. He knew that it bothered Tristana, especially after naming his mech after her.

"Hmmm," She thought. "Want to go down Memory Lane?" Tristana implored.

"Memory Lane is boring, it's just houses." Rumble groaned. Tristana internally groaned.

"No, I meant, go somewhere where memories have been made. The specific place I'm talking about is the Junkyard." Tristana said in a serious tone.

Rumble's face lit up with a smile. "The Junkyard! Yeah, yeah, sure, I'm up for that!" He said excitedly.

"Good. Let's go right now. We don't have time to waste, now do we?" Tristana spoke, standing up. She took Rumble's hand and brought him off the couch.

"O-okay, fine." Rumble said, surprised. Tristana gave a slight nod and a thumbs up. "Get your keys, wallet, whatever you need, we're gonna be gone aaaall day." Tristana said loudly. Rumble nodded and went to go fetch his keys and wallet. Once he got them, Tristana grabbed his hand, and led him to the place where their child took place.

* * *

They were a few feet away from the junkyard. Rumble would come here every so often, specifically, once a week. The junkyard had grown in the many years, being expanded at least five times its original size. The outline of the original junkyard still remained, along with the little shack that they spent so much time in. It was buried underneath a pile of trash, forgotten and discarded. Rumble and Tristana went in there every once in a while, but they rarely stayed long. The smell was insufferable, and it was always hot no matter the time of the day.

"I can't believe how much this place has changed. Not only that, but what ends up here has changed as well. I remember that this junkyard was used as an extra location for trash if the main junkyard on the other side of Bandle was full," Rumble explained as they made their way to the junkyard. "Things like fridges and chairs and broken furniture always made their way to this junkyard, but now, it's all sorts of electronics like broken light bulbs, microwaves, phones, lamps, all that stuff."

"Stuff changes overtime." Tristana replied casually. They finally reached the entrance of the junkyard. This place seemed to be deserted, no workers moving around piles of trash with cranes equipped with magnetic plates.

"I remember this place like it originally was. All this where we're standing at used to just be some dead weeds and grass, now it's actually part of the junkyard," Rumble says reminiscing. "It's kind of crazy. The whole city of Bandle has changed over the years, but because we spent such a long time here at the junkyard, it feels like it's the only part of the city that has changed."

"That's only because you spent so much time here. We were basically here every day of our childhoods," Tristana walked through the archway that read 'JUNKYARD.'

"Well, until Ziggs left for his prestigious school at who-knows-where…" Rumble trailed off in thought.

"Yeah, that destroyed you…and many, many years later, we're here. Ziggs hasn't come back, and we're just left alone," The female yordle lets out an emotional sigh, almost as if she was stifling tears. "I miss him too, but, what can you do? I'm here with my Megling Commandos, and you're kind of…just left."

Rumble nodded back. "There isn't much that someone like me can do. I have a somewhat bad reputation for being a grumpy, inattentive yordle here in Bandle," Rumble sat down on a nearby felt chair. It was in the junkyard because the back support had been broken off, leaving only a sad stool-looking thing.

"This is the border of where the original junkyard is at." Tristana said pointing down at the dark line in the dirt. It was a dark gray from years of the fence being dug into it. Rumble got up and went to go look at the line. It wasn't all too thick, but it was very distinct. It outlined the original entrance of the old junkyard, along with the spacing that showed where the original entrance was at.

"You want to go into the nasty shack?" Rumble asked Tristana. She shrugged.

"Sure. Why not? It's hot as hell in there and it smells, but why not?" She laughed. Rumble nodded and began to make his way over to the shack underneath the pile of broken electronics and furniture. That was all that seemed to make it to thejunkyard these days. Actual trash made it to the main junkyard on the other side of Yordle Land, something Tristana, Ziggs and Rumble noticed from the get-go with their junkyard adventures.

Once they reached the pile of junk where the shack was buried underneath, marked by an orange barstool, they pushed aside all the junk that covered the entrance to the shack. It was almost perfectly placed stuff, a sheet of refrigerator metal, a lawnmower skeleton and the stool that was laid diagonally to make it look less suspicious. Once they got the easily-movable objects out of the way, they made their way inside. The inside smelled like plastic and metal, which was a terrible mix. The little bed with its broken springs was still in the shack, along with the table the sat across from the bed.

The framed photograph on the desk was still there. It was a spare that Rumble had that was taken the day of Ziggs' departure. It was them three, happily smiling, Ziggs holding his thumbs up, with his arms wrapped around Tristana and Rumble, who had their cheeks pressed up to his in a cheesy smile.

The photo looked so happy, despite the fact that all three of them were dying on the inside. Especially Rumble.

He always called it the day he died, because the life he had in the past had been shattered and no longer was what it was.

Rumble felt an emotional pang in his heart looking at the photograph, so he put it back down on the table. He didn't want to cry right now, not in front of Tristana.

"This place feels the same. Except for, you know, how hot it is," Tristana awkwardly says. "But at the same time it doesn't feel the same. It never will." Tristana says soberly.

"Tristana," Rumble begins. She looks over at him, going 'hmm'? "Do you ever get tired of looking into a delusional past? Because I do. I'm tired of looking in the past because you know what!?" Rumble stood up aggressively. "We live in the present, damn it! We don't live in this delusional past of happiness, alright? From now on, we're not doing this anymore," Rumble says walking over to Tristana and aggressively grabbing her hand. "By starting with this. We're no longer coming here, okay? You have to do that, too, not just me."

Tristana was speechless at this sudden turn. "S-sure." She replied, confused.

"First things first! This!" Rumble shouts, grabbing the photograph of them. "This is no longer going to be some sad, sappy memory source, alright? You know what this is?" He says, holding the portrait out to Tristana, who was wide-eyed and frightened.

"N-no…" She replied quietly, frightened of Rumble. When Rumble got into an emotional frenzy, nothing could stop him, and this was one of them. Something had set him off, but Tristana had no idea what it was.

"It's nothing to us now!" Rumble shouted throwing the portrait down to the ground, the glass case and the gold-covered frame's corner shattering on impact. "I'm sick of this, Trist…" Rumble says quietly, hanging his head down to look at the fallen portrait, shattered glass surrounding it.

Tristana sighed. "It's all drama with you, Rumble." Tristana said, disappointingly. Rumble sobbed, not being able to stifle tears.

"I know. I'm sick of it." He replies quietly, wiping his tears, plastering his blue fur to his face.

"Here, let me help you up." Tristana says sitting him up. Rumble's stomach felt in knots as if he was about to puke. Looking at the photo twisted his heart and it made him mad to know that he would never be able to get over the loss of Ziggs. But he also knew that Ziggs wasn't gone forever. He was acting as if he was dead, but Ziggs wasn't. He was at the Academy, happily living his life with the every-so-often glance back at the friends of his past.

But they weren't friends of his past to him. Not at all.

Rumble always felt as if Ziggs felt like Tristana and him were connected to the old Ziggs. The one of the past. The Ziggs before he left to a prestigious academy and the academy of his current they were no longer in his life.

That's what it felt like to him.

Tristana sat Rumble down on the bed, being careful to not sit him on one of the springs poking out of the spongy mattress.

"Tristana. I think I'm going to start going forward from now, 'cause, I'm tired of it, ya know?" Rumble says in a defeated tone.

"I am too." Tristana replies back solemnly. Rumble sighs, putting his elbows onto his thighs and his head in his hands.

And then he felt a rumbling in his stomach. He stood up quickly, grabbing onto the bed.

"It's happening!" He shouted, almost falling down.

Tristana stood up too, spooked. "What?" She asks, afraid. Rumble moved slowly along the bed, keeping his hand on it to keep him up. He made his way over to a shack wall, trying to keep himself up. His fur began to softly glow, making his eyes widen.

"I'm being summoned. I'm…being summoned!" He shouted excitedly. The glowing grew brighter and now the sound of humming started in his head. The first step in linking his mind to his summoner's. The rumbling in his stomach subsided, but was now turning into a feeling of extreme heat, almost feeling like his insides were on fire. The teleportation to the pre-match room would commence shortly.

The glowing was now bright enough to light up the whole shack, almost to the point that it blinded Tristana. The humming turned into a crackling, and he could hear a faint voice.

"Ru-….can-….ur-…." The voice said to him.

_Yes, I can hear but you're cutting out. _Rumble thought back. There was a break of silence before the summoner spoke again.

"How is it now?" The summoner asked. His voice sounded clearer. It was a somewhat deep voice, sounding obviously masculine and confident. It sent shivers down Rumble's back.

_Much, much better._ Rumble replied in thought.

"Good. Are you ready to be summoned to the pre-match room?" The summoner asked.

_Go for it._

"Alright, get ready. Don't get sick on me now, I've gotten that many times with Teemo." The summoner said to Rumble. Rumble couldn't help but giggle at the thought of a Teemo holding his stomach, trying not to hurl all over Summoner's Rift or the pre-match room.

He felt the last feelings of being summoned, his body slowly lifting off of the ground and slowly starting to spin. And then after one of the spins, he's suddenly in the pre-match room. He wondered how it looked to others who watched him being summoned. As the one being summoned, one second you were where you were at, the next you're in the pre-match room.

He was on Tristy now, the machine moving back and forth in its usual rhythm. He looked around at everyone else who was in the room. He saw Sheriff Caitlyn, with her support, Nami. Their jungler appeared to be Volibear, and their mid was…

Ziggs.

None other than Ziggs.

"Okay Rumble, let me just test out a few movements and we're set," The summoner said as he tried to make Rumble flip a few switches. He resisted, trying to keep his eye on Ziggs. Ziggs was also surveying his team, looking over at Rumble, a big surprised grin on his face at the sight of him. "Rumble, what are you doing?" The summoner said unbelievingly. Ziggs came up, kicking at Tristy's leg, chortling.

"Nice machine ya got there," Ziggs said, chuckling. "Nice…seeing you, too." Ziggs said, looking over at Rumble.

His heart fell like it fell down to the bottom of his stomach and the sudden feeling of puking and crying came to him.


End file.
